Towards a regional beef carcass classification system for Southern Africa

G Chingala,E Raffrenato,K Dzama,L.C Hoffman,C Mapiye

doi:10.4314/sajas.v47i4.1

G Chingala, E Raffrenato + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4314/sajas.v47i4.1

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Abstract

Southern Africa is home to over 64 million cattle, of which 75% are raised on natural pasture in smallholder farming areas. Indigenous cattle breeds Bos indicus (zebu), B. taurus africanus (Sanga type) and their crosses with B. taurus (European and British) are the most dominant. Despite their dominance, indigenous cattle breeds in smallholder farming areas are commonly marketed through informal markets, and their contribution to formal national economies is therefore limited. This is partly because the current beef carcass grading and classification systems used in the region value inappropriately carcasses from slow-maturing indigenous cattle breeds that are ideally suited to being marketed offnatural pasture. The existing systems use carcass yield and quality attributes, but do not predict eating quality at consumer level. Moreover, the principal criteria used to estimate carcass yield and quality, namely age, fat cover and conformation, are assessed indirectly and subjectively. The objective of the current review is to provide an overview of beef carcass grading and classification systems in Southern Africa and analyse their shortcomings in valuing carcasses from indigenous breeds and local production systems. In addition, the review highlights opportunities for improving these systems in Southern Africa and makes suggestions towards developing a regional beef carcass classification system.

Highlights

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent geopolitically, comprising twelve mainland countries (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and three island ones (Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles), located mainly between latitudes 4° to 35° south and longitudes 12° to 58° east (FAO, 2007)
The region is home to over 64 million cattle, of which 75% are kept under smallholder farming systems that rely on natural pasture (SADC, 2012)
Beef carcass grading and classification systems used in Southern Africa are becoming less useful because of considerable increases in variation in their categories (Strydom et al, 2015), mainly because of differences among cattle breeds and production systems, and the use of modern feedstuffs and growthenhancing technologies (Strydom, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent geopolitically, comprising twelve mainland countries (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and three island ones (Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles), located mainly between latitudes 4° to 35° south and longitudes 12° to 58° east (FAO, 2007). Natural pasture-fed indigenous cattle often achieve the required levels of finish at lighter weights and older age than early maturing exotic breeds, which are suitably finished on grain. Such older and lighter carcasses from indigenous cattle fetch low prices in formal markets. This is mainly because grading and classification systems in formal markets favour heavy carcasses from young animals, which are usually obtained from grain-fed exotic breeds (Webb, 2015; Strydom et al, 2015)

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